Your pit stop for great, easy-to-make and egg-less recipes !

Dessert

Oats are a very recent addition to mypantry and definitely, my baking regime. Who wouldn’t want a dessert that is healthy? Well.. I would. Any day! And yes, it gives me another reason to bake and yet another reason to munch on another delicious dessert.

Here’s another great recipe to incorporate oats in your daily life..but in a very delicious way !

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir very well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine and stir all wet ingredients (including banana).

3. Mix the wet mixture into the dry and stir in the optional add ins.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake moulds. If using, sprinkle cherries/cranberries/crushed nuts on top of each cupcake.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool for 5 minutes before taking them out on a wire rack. Let them cool completely. ENJOY!

I needed a break from the routine and the basic cake flavours. I had the urge to try something delicious and different. And i stumbled upon exactly the type of cake I’d wanna try! I found this recipe on ticklingpalates.com. What a perfect way to incorporate coffee in a cake! Coffee lover or not… I don’t know why you wouldn’t wanna try something this delicious and this different..

Eggless Coffee Cake Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Baking Time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 1¼ cups

Powdered sugar – 1¼ cups

Cocoa powder – 3 tbsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – ½ tsp

Instant coffee powder – 1½ tsp

Fresh yogurt – ¾ cup

Vegetable oil – ½ cup

Milk – 4 tbsp

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp (optional)

Instructions:

0. Preheat oven to 180˚C. Prepare a baking dish by either lining it or using the grease-and-flour method.

6. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches to the wet ingredients and fold gently till a batter of dropping consistency is formed.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean. Take the pan out of the oven and once cooled down completely invert on to a plate. Slice and serve.

Notes:

The original recipe called for more coffee and cocoa but I found that a little on the higher side. So I have reduced their quantities and increased the sugar content.

Serve as is or dusted with castor sugar. You can even drizzle caramel sauce or chocolate sauce, depending on the taste.

Love oreos? Love cake? Why not combine both of them ?!!? AND … yes.. let’s combine them in less than 4 minutes. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Well..with mug cakes ruling the world, I tried my hand at various recipes…they ranged from utter delights to spoilt ones. Don’t worry.. I’ll give you the best of the recipes. This one’s definitely for you if you are too lazy to bake a cake..and love oreos!

1. Take the oreo biscuits and remove the cream from the center. Take out the cream nicely as it will be used for garnishing.

2. Churn the biscuits in a mixer grinder. A fine powder must be obtained at the end of this step. Take this in a mug/bowl.

3. To it, add powdered sugar and baking soda.

4. Next add the milk. The batter’s consistency will be thinner than that of a cake. Mix well using a spoon. Transfer the mixture into a greased mug (microwave-safe mug).

5. Microwave for a minute. Check after a minute and microwave for 15-20 seconds more, if needed.

6. The mug cake is ready. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes and then decorate with the cream removed from the biscuits.

What are you waiting for..? Oh yeah.. let it cool for two minutes..and then…. well..don’t wait ! Just eat it right away !

My love for mangoes increases with each passing day. And it goes without saying that I want to try every mango-related recipe that I can lay my hands on. Do you know what the best part about mango is..? It can make anything taste delicious. It works well with everything and it is used in a boatload of dishes.

I have tried salads, desserts, ice cream…even beverages with mangoes. I decided that it was time to integrate the delicious goodness with the heaven of baking. Mango Muffins… sounded like a perfect plan !

Well.. I tried my hands on these muffins and these were a winner. They left me wanting for more.. I was too tired to whip another batch but I’m gonna do that soon. My entire family loved it…and I was told that these were by far the best muffins they’ve had so far.

The yogurt gives it the sponge and the moisture. Chopped mangoes and the grated coconut give it an unbelievably great texture and taste.

God ! I love these muffins !

I so wish that we had mangoes all around the year….I’ve gotta make these soon and more often ..they’re THIS inviting… and this DELICIOUS !

Here’s how you can make this delight-

1. In a big bowl, mix yogurt and vegetable oil.

2. To this, add chopped mangoes and freshly grated coconut.

3. To this, add granulated sugar and mix well.

4. In another small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, soda and salt.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined.

That’s the goooeey and gorgeous mess you want !

6. Pour into lined or greased muffin moulds.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 175˚C for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes clean.

Heaven ..straight out of the oven !

8. Cool for 10 minutes in the moulds and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Have you ever had the urge to eat a cake but the efforts and the time demanded scared you away? OR that sudden insatiable craving at an odd time? Well.. the solution is here. MUG CAKES! The concept has been doing the rounds of the culinary world and has been popularized over past some time.

It’s a major quick fix..but don’t let that fool you.. it’s actually great and I ended up wondering if I should rather shift permanently to this method… A variety of mug cake recipes are available but I needed a sure-shot recipe that wouldn’t fail me at the time of the hunger-test.

So, here’s a basic vanilla mug cake recipe that takes a total of only 4 minutes ! It’s moist.. it’s filling .. it’s easy.. and it’s GOOD ..! AND the best part is that it’s SPONGY too ! 🙂

Can you see the depth of the mug through the scooped part? That’s how SPONGY it is.

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Give it a good mix using a spoon.

2. Pour the batter into a microwave safe mug and bake for a minute. Tap it gently and then microwave again for a minute.

3. Serve warm with chocolate syrup. Sprinkles, chocolate chips, chocolate shavings or candied dry fruits may also be used to decorate.

See how spongy it is !? And it tastes nothing short of a baked cake.

Notes:

The cake batter is to be prepared in a separate bowl and then transferred to the mug in which it will be baked.

Make sure the mug is microwave safe.

The mug cake takes exactly 2 minutes. Check it once at the first minute and give it a little tap. And then bake for another minute.

Flavours and colours may be added to get the mug cake in the desired flavour.

Take a mug that is wide mouthed, rather than one which is narrow. It gives more surface of contact and makes it easier to bake. Also, the mug shouldn’t be filled more than half or two-thirds. There must be room for rising, just like in the case of any other cake.

I have always been a hard-core fan of freshly baked goods—cakes, cupcakes, muffins, cookies..and a lot more. All these years I’ve extensively used all purpose flour for all the baking. It was not until a couple of months ago that I tried replacing it with whole- wheat flour. I was amazed with the results…and since then I’ve been on a lookout… trying to find easy and healthy replacements in baking/cooking.

After using whole-wheat flour in cupcakes, I wanted to try oats or oat flour in the same. I was skeptical at first but wanted to give it a try at least. I looked up the internet for recipes and found this one from Divya’s culinary journey.

This recipe had me at “orange and cranberry” and obviously, “eggless” ! Since the oat flour was being balanced by other flours, I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did. I found a healthy and guilt-free muffins recipe. And the best part is it doesn’t even taste like it’s a healthier version of a delicious muffin ! Tastes great !

What’s so special about these delectable muffins? Well.. they are.. Eggless. Healthy. Tangy. Moist. AND have low calories!

Here’s the step-by-step guide to make these perfectly gorgeous beauties. Get goin’ !

5.The original recipe uses only agave nectar as the sweetener. However, I have used honey in place of the agave nectar. When I tasted the batter I knew that I would have to add some sugar to make it my-kinda-sweet. You can make these without the additional sugar and there you have your sugar-less recipe.

“It would have been spongier if you had used an egg”—well.. that’s what I have heard innumerable times since I have been baking. Baking a super-soft and spongy cake/cupcake that’s eggless has since then been an ongoing quest.

What other than egg can give the cake the desired sponge ?

Well.. I finally found the answer to my question. Yogurt..! A very simple ingredient..it works like magic in eggless baking !

Here’s the recipe for the perfect and moist vanilla cupcakes.

This has become my go-to recipe since it has been a hit.

It’s a basic vanilla cupcake recipe (with my touch of all-time favourite blackcurrants). However, it can be altered to make all sorts of varieties. Just don’t forget the yogurt!

Can’t get these cupcakes out of my head ! AND the aroma when they were baking…nothing short of sweet heaven! Or is it just my love for baking? I don’t know. Whatever the case may be, you’ve gotta try these.

If you’re someone who has been on a search for a perfect eggless cupcake, trust me, your search ends right here…right this moment.

Here’s how you can make these gorgeous cupcakes-

1. Cream butter, sugar and yogurt together in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour and the baking powder. Add the vanilla extract.

3. Alternatively mix the flour mixture and the milk into the butter-sugar mixture. Beat/whisk it till it forms a creamy and homogeneous mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula and mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the blackcurrants with 2 to 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Toss to coat.

In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour and the baking powder. Add the vanilla extract.

Alternatively mix the flour mixture and the milk into the butter-sugar mixture. Beat/whisk it till it forms a creamy and homogeneous mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the blackcurrants with 2-3 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Toss to coat. Add this to the prepared batter.

Pour the mixture into greased/lined muffin moulds (fill about three-fourth of the cup). Sprinkle extra blackcurrants on top.

Bake at 175˚C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool for about 5-7 minutes. Then, unmold the cupcakes and place them on the wire rack to cool completely.

Notes-

You can omit blackcurrants to make basic vanilla cupcakes. Or add candied cherries/nuts in place of the blackcurrants according to the personal preference.

Coating the blackcurrants with the flour is an important step. This prevents the blackcurrants from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake.

Fill the muffin halfway, or maximum three-quarters. You wouldn’t want your cupcake blowing up way outside the mould.

Cocoa powder and chocolate chips may be added to make choco chip muffins (and omit the blackcurrants).

When creaming butter, sugar and yogurt in step 1..it may appear that you will never get a creamy texture. The texture will get creamy as soon as the dry mixture and milk are added. I had a hand beater in my hand so I used that to beat my mixture. A wire whisk would work great too.

The cupcakes are fluffy, spongy and tasty at the same time. It doesn’t for once feel that it’s eggless. I wouldn’t even wait to prepare an icing for these….they’re that soft and yumm !

Creamier than cream … Shrikhand is an Indian dessert made with hung yogurt. The creamy texture, the richness and the melt-in-the-mouth texture makes it a sure-shot winner. And Yes, this oh-so-delectable dessert is even better when loaded with the goodness of real mangoes! Sounds inviting to me. What about you? Here’s another go-make-it-now summer delight for you.

Now that’s what I’m talking about..!

Mango Shrikhand Recipe

Serves -3

Preparation time -10 mins (excluding preparation of hung yogurt)

Cook time – nil

Ingredients needed

Hung yogurt/curd – 3 cups (should not be sour)

Powdered sugar – 1/4 to1/2 cup (or more)

Mango Purée – 1 cup

Pistachios – 6-8

Almonds – 4-5

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Saffron -10-12 strands

Warm milk -2 tbspFor garnishing

Pistachio and almond slivers

Mango chunks (optional)

Saffron strands (optional)

Preparation

Place yogurt in a muslin cloth or a cheese cloth. Tie it tightly and hang it for 3-4 hours. This will drain out the excess water from the yogurt. Place it in the refrigerator or else the yogurt will turn sour. The hung yogurt will be creamy in texture.

Soak the pistachios and almonds in a bowl of lukewarm water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Once their skin loosens, remove the skin and slice the pistachios and almonds in slivers. The almonds may need to be soaked for a little longer.

Soak the saffron strands in the lukewarm milk. Set it aside.

Method
1. In a bowl, take the hung yogurt and add powdered sugar to it. Use a wire whisk to mix them together. As the sugar is already in the powder form, it will be thoroughly mixed in 2-3 minutes.

2.Now add the saffron soaked in the milk, half of the chopped pistachio and almonds, mango purée and the cardamom powder. Gently mix it.

3.Refrigerate for at least an hour or until serving. Garnish with pistachio and almond slivers. It tastes best when served chilled.

I can’t get enough of this.. just look at the color… AND the texture..

Note –

While the shrikhand can be made with any type of mangoes, alphonso works the best. Canned mangoes may also be used. I prefer making the shrikhand when the mangoes are in season.

Other flavours may very well be used. Bananas and strawberries top the safe-zone list for me. I think they will work great. However, you can let your imagination run wild ! Go find some delectable fresh fruits.

In case you feel that the mango purée has mango threads, strain the purée through a wire mesh. This will ensure that the smooth and the creamy texture isn’t disturbed. There are certain varieties whose purée does not need to be strained and there are others that demand a little extra effort for this gorgeous delight.

The amount of powdered sugar needed will vary depending on the mango and its sweetness. It is best to first use 1/4th cup and then add more after tasting.

The scorching heat isn’t all that summer is about. It brings with itself delicious fruits and ohh, Ice cream, yeah ! And the best part is when you can combine your favourite fruit with the ice cream. That sounds like a treat to me ! 🙂 For me, it would most certainly be Mango Ice Cream. And what’s better than home-made ice cream. I’ll tell you… it’s home-made ice cream that’s hell easy to make !! I’ve never had something that’s this EASY to make and yet tastes like heaven melting in your mouth. Just 3 ingredients, no churning again and again, no mess..and yes, no need of an ice cream maker ! What are you waiting for ….Read on ..go ahead and make this gorgeous, OH-SO-YUMMM ice cream today ! JUST GO FOR IT !

Blend the cream until it slightly thickens. Do not over blend or else the butter will be churned out of the cream.

Add one cup of condensed milk and give it a little whisk.

Look how they mingle so easily, even with a wire whisk.

Finally, add the mango purée and blend again until well combined.

Look at THAT !

When you’ve mixed the ingredients, blend it using a wire whisk or a hand blender. You don’t need to vigorously beat it. A cut and fold method using a spatula would work great as well.

The creamy goodness of the ice cream !

Look at that creamy texture, straight from my mixing bowl. Isn’t that tempting? Trust me, it tastes yummier ! Well..go ahead and taste it and tell me that I’m right ! And when you taste it, I bet you wouldn’t wanna wait for it to freeze.

Pour the ice cream into a container with a tight lid. Cover the container with the lid and freeze for at least 5 hours. If you have the patience, let it freeze overnight.

Serve as is or garnish.

Who wouldn’t want THIS as the result of their 20 minutes in the kitchen ? I would, ANY DAY !

3-Ingredients Mango Ice Cream Recipe:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Chilling Time: Overnight

Makes: About 4 cups

Ingredients: 1 cup cream (at least 35% fat content)

1 cup condensed milk

1 cup mango purée (fresh or canned; preferably fresh)

Instructions:

Blend the cream until it slightly thickens. Do not over blend or else the butter will be churned out of the cream.

Add one cup of condensed milk and give it a little whisk.

Finally, add the mango purée and blend again until well combined.

You can add finely chopped mangoes at this stage. It will give way to mango bits in the ice cream when you eat. This is to add the extra mangooey goodness to the ice cream.

Pour the ice cream into a container with a tight lid. Cover with the lid and freeze for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.

And there you have it ready. When you want to scoop it, let it sit out for a few minutes.

Serve as is or garnish with mango chunks, mango crush, pistachios or almonds. J

Notes:

You do not need to blend the ice cream after it has been prepared. No crystals will form provided the ice cream has been set in a container with a tight lid. This is an important step. You wouldn’t like ice crystals in the otherwise fabulous ice cream. I have tried a plastic container as well as my aluminium bread pan and they both worked great.

Let the ice cream sit outside for 2-3 minutes before trying to scoop.

Garnish with mango pieces, mango crush, slivers of pistachios or slivers of blanched almonds. But I bet you will be tempted to eat it straight out of the container.

The taste may vary, depending on the mango used. Alphonso mangoes work the best when making this ice cream. The others can definitely be used as alphonsos are not always readily available. When using mangoes that have threads ingrained in them, it would be wise to strain the purée through a wire mesh.

The sweetness of the ice cream will vary depending on the type of mangoes used. Taste the mixture once you’ve combined all the ingredients. If you find that it isn’t as sweet as you’d like, you can either add more condensed milk or powdered sugar. Do not forget to mix it. You, however, do not need to blend it again.

I use either a hand blender or a wire whisk to blend the ingredients. Both work great. It doesn’t need to be vigorously beaten, just whisk enough to blend the ingredients together.

If the colour isn’t deep enough, don’t let it dishearten you. The taste will be great, rest assured. You can add food colouring if you want a deep colour. I personally wouldn’t change anything about this heavenly scoop of ice cream…Wait, not a scoop…I want more!